Green sea turtles

Green sea turtle
A green sea turtle swimming above a Hawaiian coral reef
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Clade:	Americhelydia
Family:	Cheloniidae
Genus:	Chelonia Brongniart, 1800
Species:	C. mydas
Binomial name
Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) [originally Testudo]
Synonyms
Species synonymy Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758 Testudo macropus Walbaum, 1782 (nomen illegitimum) Testudo viridis Schneider, 1783 Testudo japonica Thunberg, 1787 Testudo marina vulgaris Lacépède, 1788 Testudo viridisquamosa Lacépède, 1788 Testudo mydas macropus Suckow, 1798 Chelonia mydas Brongniart, 1800 Testudo chloronotos Bechstein, 1800 Testudo cepediana Daudin, 1801 Testudo rugosa Daudin, 1801 Chelone mydas Brongniart, 1805 Chelonia japonica Schweigger, 1812 Chelonia virgata Schweigger, 1812 Caretta cepedii Merrem, 1820 Caretta esculenta Merrem, 1820 Caretta thunbergii Merrem, 1820 Caretta mydas Fitzinger, 1826 Caretta virgata Fitzinger, 1826 Chelonia lachrymata Cuvier, 1829 Chelonia maculosa Cuvier, 1829 Chelonia midas Wagler, 1830 (ex errore) Chelonia mydas var. japonica Gray, 1831 Chelonia esculenta Wiegmann & Ruthe, 1832 Chelonia bicarinata Lesson, 1834 Chelonia marmorata Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Chelonia (Chelonia) cepedeana Fitzinger, 1835 (ex errore) Chelonia viridis Temminck & Schlegel, 1835 Mydas mydas Cocteau, 1838 Mydasea mydas Gervais, 1843 Euchelonia mydas Tschudi, 1846 Megemys mydas Gistel, 1848 Chelonia lacrymata Agassiz, 1857 (ex errore) Chelonia formosa Girard, 1858 Chelonia tenuis Girard, 1858 Euchelys macropus Girard, 1858 Chelone macropus Strauch, 1862 Chelone maculosa Strauch, 1862 Chelone marmorata Strauch, 1862 Chelone virgata Strauch, 1862 Chelone viridis Strauch, 1862 Chelonia albiventer Nardo, 1864 Thalassiochelys albiventer Günther, 1865 Chelonia agassizii Bocourt, 1868 Mydas viridis Gray, 1870 Chelone midas Cope, 1871 Chelonia lata Philippi, 1887 Chelone mydas Boulenger, 1889 Chelonia mydas mydas Mertens & Müller, 1928 Caretta thunbergi Smith, 1931 (ex errore) Chelonia mydas agassizii Carr, 1952 Chelonia mydas agassizi Schmidt, 1953 (ex errore) Chelonia mydas carrinegra Caldwell, 1962 Chelonia agazisii Tamayo, 1962 (ex errore) Testudo nigrita Tamayo, 1962 Chelonia agassizi Carr, 1967 Chelonia mydus Nutaphand, 1979 (ex errore) Chelonia mydas carinegra Nutaphand, 1979 (ex errore) Testudo chloronotus Smith & Smith, 1980 (ex errore) Chelone albiventer Márquez, 1990 Caretta thumbergii Sharma, 1998 (ex errore) Chelonia mydas viridis Karl & Bowen, 1999

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle, or Pacific green turtle, is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. The common name comes from the usually green fat found beneath its carapace; these turtles' shells are olive to black.

This sea turtle's dorsoventrally flattened body is covered by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace; it has a pair of large, paddle-like flippers. It is usually lightly colored, although in the eastern Pacific populations parts of the carapace can be almost black. Unlike other members of its family, such as the hawksbill sea turtle, C. mydas is mostly herbivorous. The adults usually inhabit shallow lagoons, feeding mostly on various species of seagrasses. The turtles bite off the tips of the blades of seagrass, which keeps the grass healthy.

Like other sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. Many islands worldwide are known as due to green sea turtles nesting on their beaches. Females crawl out on beaches, dig nests and lay eggs during the night. Later, hatchlings emerge and scramble into the water. Those that reach maturity may live to 80 years in the wild.

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